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Chesler/Dynamic
Chesler's studio, which began in either 1935 or 1936, provided early work to artists and writers including Jack Cole, Jack Binder, Otto Binder, Charles Biro, Mort Meskin, and many others. Biography Most often credited as Harry "A" Chesler — the "A" was an affectation rather than a true initial, and Chesler sometimes quipped it stood for "anything" — Chesler was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, grew up in East Orange, Abstract accessed on January 17, 2012. and worked in the furniture business before he went into comics.Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan and Mike Gartland. The Art of George Tuska (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2005), ISBN 1-893905-40-3; ISBN 978-1-893905-40-5, p. 28 He also worked for a time at the Philadelphia Public Ledger, where he picked up his fictitious middle initial. In the 1920s, Chesler worked in advertising. In 1935Bails, Jerry G., and Ware, Hames (ed.s),"Chesler Studio / Chesler, Harry", Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Quotes from print edition: Volume One (1973), p. 31. or 1936, Chesler established a studio in Manhattan to supply comic-book content to publishers testing the waters of the emerging medium. The "Chesler shop" or "Chesler Shop", as it was informally called, was the first such "packager", later to be followed by companies including Eisner & Iger and Funnies Inc. Chesler in 1976 recalled it was located first at Fifth Avenue and 32nd Street, and later at Seventh Avenue and 23rd Street. George Tuska, a comic-book artist who had worked for Chesler in the late 1930s, recalled, "Chelser had his office on the fourth floor of a building on 23rd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues". (One source lists the studio at 28th Street and Fifth Avenue.) During this time, Chesler commuted from his home in Dover, New Jersey. Chesler's early publications Star Comics and Star Ranger were produced through his own Chesler Publications, Inc."Chesler / Dynamic : Chesler Publications, Inc. (Indicia Publisher)" at the Grand Comics Database. These were bought by Ultem Publications in 1937, where he continued as editor until Ultem was in turn bought by Centaur Publications in 1938.Ultem (1937 - 1938) at the Grand Comics Database By the late 1930s, Chesler's packaging business was flourishing. As Tuska recalled, Chesler "did alright with comics. Bought a lot of property in Jersey. Made his own lake".Cassell, p. 27. Circa 1939 to 1940, Chesler was living in the Succasunna section of Roxbury Township, New Jersey; he lived there again later in life. Chesler employees remembered him as a tough but warm boss who always wore a hat and smoked a big cigar. Artist Joe Kubert recalled Chesler paying him $5 a week, at age 12 (c. 1938) to apprentice at his studio after school. Similarly, artist Carmine Infantino remembers that, c. 1940, he was paid by Chesler "a dollar a day, just to study art, learn, and grow. That was damn nice of him, I thought. He did that for me for a whole summer" while Infantino was in high school. Chesler's later imprints included Dynamic Publications,"Chesler / Dynamic : Dynamic Publications, Inc. (Indicia Publisher)" at the Grand Comics Database Harry "A" Chesler Jr. Publications,"Chesler / Dynamic : Harry A. Chesler, Jr. Publications, Inc. (Indicia Publisher)" at the Grand Comics Database and Harry "A." Chesler Feature Jr. Syndicate.[http://www.comics.org/series/262/ Dynamic Comics, Chesler / Dynamic, 1941 Series] at the Grand Comics Database. The covers of many of his 1940s comics bear the phrase "Harry 'A' Chesler Jr. Features Syndicate, N.Y.".See, for example, the [http://www.comics.org/issue/265894/cover/4/ cover of Captain Battle #3] (Winter 1942) or "Harry 'A' Chesler, Jr. World's Greatest Comics".See, for example, the [http://www.comics.org/issue/3338/cover/4/ cover of Bulls Eye Comics #11] (1944) Comic-book historians sometimes label all such imprints informally "Harry A Chesler Comics." In his heyday, Chesler recalled in a 1976 profile, "besides about 75 of my own titles, we produced comics for some 50 different publishers. At one time, there were 40 artists working for me and I had 300 comic titles on the newsstands." However, the Grand Comics Database records only 19 distinct titles directly published by Chesler between 1937 and 1946, leaving the meaning of "my own titles" in this quote unclear. His shop employed "a growing group of men who produced scores of strips and entire books (often first issues) for nearly every publisher," including Chesler's own Star Comics, Star Ranger, Dynamic Comics, Punch Comics and Yankee Comics. The studio also "produced the early issues of MLJ Publications Zip Comics, Pep Comics and Top-Notch Comics, Captain Marvel, Master," as well as features for Centaur Comics. Alumni of the Chesler Shop "went on to form the nuclei of various comics art staffs" for a number of different early comics companies; they include Jack Cole, Jack Binder, Otto Binder, Charles Biro, Mort Meskin, Creig Flessel (briefly), (Requires scrolldown to 8:25 a.m. PST post) Ken Ernst,Ken Ernst at the Lambiek Comiclopedia Bob McCay,Bob McCay entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Accessed Jan. 14, 2012. Otto Eppers, and many others. Chesler's comics enterprise was severely affected by World War II. Chesler's main pre-war editor, Phil Sturm, was on active duty for most of the war, severely curtailing the company's ability to produce comics. Chesler's son, Harry A. Chesler, Jr., although listed in the business records as a co-owner in name, was never involved in the publishing business. Evidence from Chesler publications' statements of ownership during the war indicate that Chesler, Jr. was "on leave to the US Army."Punch Comics #14 (July 1945) Statement of the Ownership, Management, Circulation, Etc. at the Grand Comics Database Chesler was briefly a partner with Archer St. John in St. John Publications in 1953. The studio was active through 1940, after which it reorganized and ran through at least 1953, though a former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief said in 1981 that from c. 1971–1975, the Chesler studio produced material for the Marvel Comics line of black-and-white magazines.Sanderson, Peter and Peter B. Gillis. "Comics Feature Interviews Marv Wolfman" Comics Feature #12/13 (September/October 1981), p. 44. In 1976 Chesler donated over 4,000 pieces of original comic book and comic strip art, much of it dating from the turn of the 20th century, to Fairleigh Dickinson University's Friendship Library. He died in December 1981, still living in Succasunna. Titles published Chesler Publications / Dynamic Publications / Harry "A" Chesler Jr. Publications and related companiesChesler / Dynamic, 1937-1946 at the Grand Comics Database Chesler Publications, Inc., 276 Fifth Avenue, New York City, New York[http://www.comics.org/issue/161/ Indicia, Star Comics #1] at the Grand Comics Database Dynamic Publications, 163 23rd Street, New York City, New York[http://www.comics.org/issue/3748/ Indicia, Punch Comics #9] at the Grand Comics Database Harry A. Chesler Jr. Publications, Inc., 163 23rd Street, New York City, New York[http://www.comics.org/issue/5229/ Indicia, Punch Comics #18] at the Grand Comics Database * Bulls Eye Comics #11 (1944) *''Captain Battle Comics'' #3 (Winter 1942; numbering continued from Lev Gleason Publications' Captain Battle Comics #2; continued as Picture Scoop's Captain Battle Comics #5 issue #4 published) * Carnival Comics number (1945; numbering continues from Kayo Comics; continued as Red Seal Comics) *''Cocomalt Book of Comics'' #! (1938; one-shot giveaway) *''Dynamic Comics'' #1-3, 8-20 (Oct. 1941 - Oct. 1946; no issues #4-7; continued as Superior Publishers Limited's Dynamic Comics) *''Jest Comics'' #10-11 (c. 1944-1945; numbering continued from Snap Comics; continued as Kayo Comics) *''Kayo Komics'' #12 (March 1945; numbering continues from Jest Comics; continued as Carnival Comics) *''Komik Pages'' #1/10 (#1 in postal indicia, #10 on cover; April 1945) *''Major Victory Comics'' #1-3 (1944 - Summer 1945) *''Punch Comics'' #1-2, 9-19 (Dec. 1941 - Oct. 1946; continued as Superior Publishers Limited's Punch Comics) *''Red Seal Comics'' #14-18 (Oct. 1945 - Oct. 1946); numbering continued from Carnival Comics; continued as Superior Publishers Limited's Red Seal Comics *''Scoop Comics'' #1-3 (Nov. 1941 - March 1942; continued as Remington Morse's Yankee Comics), #8 (1944; continued as Snap Comics; no issues #4-7) *''Skyrocket Comics'' number (c. 1944) *''Snap Comics'' #9 (1944; numbering continued from Scoop Comics; continued as Jest Comics *''Spotlight Comics'' #1-3 (Nov. 1944 - March 1945) *''Star Comics'' #1-6 (Feb.-Sept. 1937; continued as Ultem's Star Comics) *''Star Ranger'' #1-6 (Feb.-Sept. 1937; continued as Ultem's Star Ranger) *''Yankee Comics'' #1-4 (Sept, 1941 - March 1942) Erroneously attributed to Chesler *''Feature Funnies'' #1-20 (1937–1939); actually published by Quality Comics and subsequently continued as Feature Comics #21-144 by that publisherPer Andrews, Henry, at Quality Comics : Comic Favorites, Inc. (Indicia Publisher) at the Grand Comics Database: "Contrary to what is often reported, there is no evidence that Harry 'A' Chesler was ever an owner of this company or in any way a 'pre-Quality' publisher. He is not mentioned anywhere in Feature Funnies #1 or #2, and the earliest available statement of ownership (from #16) lists Everett M. Arnold, Frank J. Markey, Henry P. Martin, Jr. and Frank J. Murphy as co-owners." Chesler/Dynamic characters * Alias the Dragon * Black Dwarf * Dynamic-Boy * Dynamic-Man * Green Knight * Lady Satan * Major Victory * Master Key * Mister E * Rocketgirl * Rocketman * Scarlet Sentry * Spider Woman (Chesler version) * Veiled Avenger * Wonder-Boy (Chesler version) * Yankee Girl See also * Eisner & Iger * Everett M. "Busy" Arnold * Funnies Inc. References Further reading * Steranko, Jim. The Steranko History of Comics 2 (Supergraphics, 1972), p. 99 External links * *Harry "A" Chesler superheroes *[http://english2.mnsu.edu/larsson/companions%20companion/scoop.html Cover, Scoop Comics #2] (shows imprint for "Harry A. Chesler Feature Syndication" and "A Dynamic Publication) | Notes = | Trivia = | OfficialWebsite = | Links = }}